Target To Sell Only Sustainable Seafood By 2015

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Target Corp. plans to sell only sustainable and traceable seafood in its stores by 2015.

Sustainable seafood efforts make sure species aren't being overfished and that they are harvested with methods that don't endanger other fish and seafood.

Companies such as Target, Safeway Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Whole Foods Market Inc. have worked to change their seafood policies as concern continues to rise about overfishing and the environmental effects of certain fishing methods.

Target said Thursday that its latest action will apply to all of its fresh and frozen seafood. The Minneapolis company is teaming with nonprofit organization FishWise, which works with seafood companies on environmentally responsible business practices, to help with its effort.

"As we continue toward 100 percent sustainable seafood, guests can shop with confidence knowing that Target's seafood products are both healthy for their family and environmentally responsible," Shawn Gensch, vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

Target said that over the past two years it has eliminated Chilean sea bass and orange roughy, which have been overfished, from all of its stores.

In January 2010 the retailer announced that it pulled all farmed salmon from its stores. Businesses have increasingly shifted away from farmed salmon because of pressure by consumers and environmentalists, who are concerned that salmon farms are bad for the environment and can be repositories for disease that could spread to wild salmon.

Target has 1,767 stores across the U.S and will open its first stores in Canada in 2013. Its stock fell 10 cents to $52.65 in afternoon trading.